Search Results for travel

i’ve so excited for gift guides this year! i love creating them and i love looking at the guides that other people make. i wasn’t always a gift giver and really struggled with what to give people and if they’d like it, etc. but as i’ve gotten older i’ve really started to enjoy it. for me, it’s about getting a head start and not saving it for the last minute. which can be hard to do but even picking up little thoughtful items in the months leading up to the holidays helps a lot. gifts don’t have to be big or expensive. it’s really about putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and thinking about something they might enjoy. i’ve given a lot of gifts that i really loved or that i wanted the person to like but that doesn’t always turn out so well. every year for my birthday bri creates a pin board for me with about 20 items that she has curated from all over the web that she thinks i’ll love. it’s such a sweet gesture because looking at the board i can tell that every item she picked she did so with me and my taste and style in mind. cheers to gift giving! – joanie

$18 – bri just got sent a few pairs of these socks and they are the coolest. their designs are so cute and they would be great all winter long peeking out of your closed toe shoes.

$15 – nothing says i love you than a pound of good coffee, am i right? i feel like coffee, wine and candles are the most universally accepted gifts that truly any one would enjoy.

$42 – one of our favorite candle companies just started making their candles in terra cotta! i’d get the lavender but all of the scents are nice.

$42 – a little pop of color to go with all that cold grey winter weather.

$7 -the packaging at bottega louie is reason enough to buy a gift for someone there. i have been sent a box of their macaroons by my aunt before and i can attest that they are instant happiness.

$50 – a nice lightweight scarf that can be worn as an evening wrap. this is also a great travel gift if you need a gift that’ll fit in your suitcase!

$40 – i wear this every single day and i love it. , i feel good about the fact that i’m actually wearing sunscreen and protecting my skin. a gift that keeps on giving!

$42 – would be a nice double gift with a pound of coffee but i love these mugs alone. they are sturdy, handmade and come in lots of cool glazes.

$38 – when the yellow hoops are a bit too much these baby heart studs will do the trick. give these to your bff or sister!

this is and my second shoot for (see our first here!) we’ve been dreaming up doing a shoot together in the sand dunes for years actually, so we were SO happy to get to finally make it happen with one of our favorite brands. our first shoot was more of a love story, and this one was meant to be colorful, eclectic, vast, different, poppy, and emote FUN. we wanted little details like flowers sprouting from the sand, and big details like colorful fabric blowing in the winds in the middle of nowhere. this was one of the bigger shoots i had ever art directed, so it obviously came with a lot of nerves and a whole lot of learning. but i truly believe jesse and i are meant to create photographs together, maybe until we are old and grey. we have a special bond and can communicate basically with our eyes on what we want to happen and i love that!

our crew was 17 people and we headed to the pismo beach sand dunes to make some magic…

(ps, they blew up a lot of our photos and have them hanging in their on melrose for three months if you want to go shop some of the line and see them in person!)

that pink parachute was the real winner of the shoot. see the hilarious

this was a much bigger shoot than i am used to! usually it’s me and jesse and a few people (or maybe even just the two of us on a random tuesday making photos). this was my first shoot having a (wow, how will i ever NOT have one of those?! so so helpful) and it was also extremely helpful to have our with us. he had jesse’s camera tethered and followed her around with a little tented booth so i could look at the images as they were happening in the desert and direct jesse. i am so used to either trusting her, or looking in the back of her camera to see the shots. this was a game changer.

last month we had our second cookbook club meet up and this time the book we selected was and let me tell ya it was a hit! (you can read about our cookbook club here and what we made last month) every dish we made this time was so good, full of flavor, fresh and interesting. i really love his book and the intro is especially beautiful on his appreciation and understanding for Jerusalem and the rich history it carries for many people of different religions and backgrounds. victoria actually selected the book but it was pretty perfect timing as i had just returned from israel two days before and was able to pick up some spices for my dish during my time there. (ps, i am still putting together my israel travel post for you guys!)

here are the dishes we made/tried:

victoria made the braised chicken and it was unbelievably good. she said it was time intensive but the chicken was fall of the bone tender and so flavorful. it called for chicken thighs and to be marinated over night and cooked with whole lemons. it was a real win! we gave her the grand prize.

elizabeth made the cauliflower with hazelnuts. it was the perfect weekday side dish for dinner. and she said it was very easy.

turkey meatballs – i (joanie) was really impressed with the ease of this dish. i love how many fresh herbs it used and also the grated zucchini added a ton of moisture and upped the veggie count! i ended up having to add bread crumbs because i didn’t let the moisture out of the zucchini well enough. really what i should have done and would do in the future is grate it, put it in a colander, sprinkle with salt, let sit for 15 minutes and then push the extra juice out of it. it’s amazing how much liquid they hold! the sauce that this recipe calls for is amazing and really makes the whole dish. i feel like this one is really family friendly. – joanie

bri – i made the squash with pine nuts, tzakiki, and za’atar. hardest part was cutting the squash (but i’m weak). the rest was a breeze. it gives more specific instructions on roasting (skin side down etc) but i just threw them in a cast iron pan and gave it a stir once or twice and it came out great. will definitely make that again!

jesse is hosting the next one on monday and the book is . if you’ve made something you loved from her book let me know!

i’m almost low maintenance to a fault when it comes to self-care and taking care of my skin. for years, i barely washed my face or moisturized on a consistent basis. i know, that’s bad! it never really felt worth it to me because i didn’t notice that much of a difference and sometimes my face would even break out if i did anything to it. i was always bummed about the dryness but never took initiative. that all changed when about 8 months ago i started using the line. i have really dry skin and sort of just thought that was the way it was for me but i can honestly say that my skin has changed so much since i started using their line. in particular, and . people have even commented on my skin, which neeeever happened before.

that’s why i’m so excited to be able to do this giveaway where one person will win four of my favorite products from the line! and they are also offering a 15% discount off orders* between today and October 2nd so stock up while you can because they almost never do any discounts!

the mask is something that i really noticed a difference using. i use it about 2-3 times a week. you just apply a layer to your skin and let it sit for 2-5 minutes. just leave it on while you brush your teeth or something and then use a warm washcloth to remove it. you can start to feel it tingling closer to 5 minutes and can feel it really working on that dry outer layer. apply the oil and serum after and your face feels amazing!! especially with a final mist. it has become my new obsession/routine. and all of their products have NO added toxins in them, so you can feel great using them.

i brought the line with me during my recent trip to europe and it really helped maintain my skin quality with all the travel. the mist is one of my favorites, it’s an instant refresh, smells SO good and is very relaxing. i actually use it as one of my daily anxiety relievers and it helps me a lot. seems silly, but works for me!

i totally understand that their products are pricey. if you’re looking to try the line but want to start small i’d suggest beginning with . and using almost a full dropper 2 times a day. if you have dry skin like me, i would say the moisture mask is next inline in terms of changing my skin and helping with the dryness.

joanie: “i just use and it lasts about three months which works out to a little over a $1/day. for me, i’d much rather take good care of my skin than get a new bag or pair of jeans because when my skin looks and feels good i feel so much better.”

my four favorite products and the ones you can enter to win are the , , and (a $375+ value!).

i’ve been working on my travel guide for israel (hoping our wifi is strong enough here in amsterdam that i can put that up this week!)

before those posts i’d like to share about our experience traveling to tel aviv. i was asked to take the new United Dream Polaris nonstop flight from newark to tel aviv and was able to bring justin along. we both had never been to israel and that plane looked awesome, so we jumped at the opportunity. let’s be honest, i don’t really travel in first or business class, i can count the number of times on one hand, so this was a real treat. you arrive to a drink, saks pillows, pajamas, a full lie down bed with a comforter, big tvs, cheese plates, an ice cream sundae cart, the best service…it was wild!

luckily we were able to sit next to each other and watch movies together. i guess we’re that couple that even hangs out on the plane and hits play and pause at the same time ha!

my favorite part of the flight was how spacious and comfortable it was. a 10 hour plane ride has never gone by as quickly, i was actually kinda bummed when it was over! it felt like i had time to relax, catch up on my murder mystery podcasts and books (up and vanished! obsessed), have wine and just chillllll. on the way home i needed to sleep because of a busy work week and i was able to lay down and fall asleep most of the way home. we flew coach a few days later and man, we missed those little dream pods!